A Year In Review
The smile of a woman who has just survived her first “full-time” year in business for herself.
This week marks one year in my journey to quit my full time job and fully lean into small business ownership. Many of you may not know that I actually started my business back in March of 2019, thanks to the encouragement of my husband. I kept receiving requests for resume help and career coaching, so I started officially charging and eventually established my business entity that spring. Fast forward to June of 2020, when I was laid off thanks to COVID-19. I felt like I was reaching the point of being ready to work for myself full time, but the pandemic was scary and the world and future of work were still uncertain at that time, so I decided to hedge my bets and take a full time job again. Fast forward to about 8 months later, when I knew in my bones that it was time. I didn’t have a ton of runway, but I had saved most of what I had been making on the side and decided it was time to take the leap. It was painful to leave the teams I had built and nurtured at my full time job, but I gave the word and decided to go out on my own.
Next, came the ugly stuff nobody really talks about (entrepreneurs only like talking about the “hustle”, not the real life shit that happens and makes it really hard to run a business). Immediately after I quit came the “snowpocalypse” of 2021 in Dallas, where many folks had lost power, heat, and water for days, meaning little to no work was getting done, and my income very quickly dried up. A week later, my father had a near-life-ending heart attack, followed by open heart surgery. I traveled to RI to be with my family, and was lucky enough to be partnered with clients who were incredibly graceful about my absence. The rest of the year was not without challenges, as more family health issues presented themselves, as well as coordinating a cross-country move and trying to purchase our first home. But despite all of this, I realize that I had surrounded myself with people who only tried to help, not hurt, when I was down or struggling. Truly, these people gave me more grace than I ever deserved. But I repaid it with the hardest, best work I could give them, and was rewarded with projects that clients were thrilled with, and clients who quit jobs and started news ones with 25%+ increases in salary. It is humbling to look back and see the contradictions of feeling failures and struggles so acutely, and yet also feeling the high at having achieved something really meaningful to yourself and to the people who know you best and chose you to work with. Again, these are the things I feel like people don’t really talk about in business. I obviously don’t share all of my personal struggles online or across my social media, but I feel like it’s important for me to be authentic with my audience, however small it may be, to say that it may seem like everything is peachy, but there are often wins and fails simultaneously happening and sharing the spotlight at any given moment.
So now, as I settle into the second month of 2022 and prepare to handle my taxes next quarter, I feel I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I ran (and run) a profitable business in 2021. It wasn’t easy, but the flexibility it afforded me to choose the people I surround myself with, and to spend time with my family and friends, and travel as I saw fit, is something I am eternally grateful for, and in my opinion, it was absolutely worth the trade of the “stability” of full time work.
Truly, if you had asked me after I graduated college what I’d be doing in five years, I never could have given you a straight answer. I knew my path would involve people, communication, and somehow trying to make the world a better place. And I realize the privilege I have in that being my actual reality every day. I certainly never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but here we are. I don’t say any of this as a humble brag, but more of a “well if I can do it, literally anybody can.” I still get excited when I reconcile my books every month and see that I made a profit, as it’s not something you take for granted when you’re on your own. But all of this to say—thank you. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me, believed in me, trusted me, given me grace, and truly tried in whatever way to support me. The list is too long to share all of your names here, but you know who you are and you know I couldn’t do any of this without you. You’ll never know how much it all means to me, and I hope you’ll allow me to return the favor in some way if I ever can.
Thank you.
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